


Tales of Survivors

by Mask



Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Admiration, Agender Character, Ambiguous Relationships, Angry Eating, Apocalyptic Close Call, Atypical Vampire Behaviour, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Flirting, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Immortals, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), Other, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, hints of romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-26
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-08-27 06:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8390581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mask/pseuds/Mask
Summary: Ali's a young vampire. Having been made some thirty years ago, he was still rather attached to his humanity, but he handled being a vampire with grace. He meets his companion and impromptu mentor Jing Rei in Connecticut to catch up.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Zhanghwe via email. Thank you so much. I absolutely adored writing these characters. I had so many ideas, but I just couldn't fit them all into this! I hope you enjoyed and thanks again.
> 
> [Ali is an agender vampire but uses male-typical pronouns.]

Silverware scraped unpleasantly against the porcelain plate. Ali watched with hooded eyes as his companion tore into the steak, irritation motivating his every movement. He shook his head slightly and turned his gaze out towards the window. All around them was a comfortable din of conversation. Humans sat at neatly decorated tables in pairs with the occasional group dotting the scenery. Every now and again, there would be a laugh or some other loud noise that would penetrate the ambient cloud of dialogue and heartbeats. Ali watched their reflections through the glass, his eyes slightly unfocused.

        “Tch. The Vampire Lestat,” Jing Rei hissed as he chewed through his food.

Ali blinked and glanced over to the other vampire, waiting a moment for Jing Rei to speak again. He met black eyes and noticed that the irritation had slipped up into Jing Rei's eyes. Ali moved, folding his hands onto the table now and sinking back in his seat. He gave a slight smile, appearing soft and amicable with the gesture.

        “I'm sorry I brought him up.”

        Jing Rei waved a hand dismissively then and swallowed down his food before saying, “It's fine. We needed to bring him up.” He cut another part of his steak and muttered something under his breath. “First, it was that infernal concert. Then it was that book of his. Then—!”

Jing Rei's elbow slammed onto the table now as he looked off towards the humans. He twisted his fork between his fingers. Ali waited patiently before another bite was taken.

        “Then it was what happened with the Mother. Can you believe it?” Jing Rei continued and then set the cut of steak onto his tongue.

        “He was not the only one at fault. If I remember correctly, Lestat's companion and childe Louis is the one who initiated the string of biographies. Lestat, in all of his desire for recognition, was the one who followed suit and made it so much more.”

        Jing Rei nodded, his finger gesturing in a similar manner. “You're not wrong at all. Lestat, Louis, that ancient Marius… Damn them all, honestly.”

        Ali laughed then, a soft imitation of the sound. His shoulders bobbed slightly. When Jing Rei leveled him a look, Ali shook his head weakly but responded with, “'That ancient'. You speak of him as if you're not ancient yourself.”

        “I've walked this miserable globe for nearly six hundred years. By comparison, I'm still a child in my own right.”

        “But how many vampires can be lucky enough to make it to such an age? How many are lucky to have survived the Mother's attack who are just as old as you?”

This gave Jing Rei pause. His intensity froze within himself, and he looked like a guardian statue. A gargoyle one would put beside a gate to discourage intruders. As the silence stretched, Ali's smile broadened slowly. He knew that Jing Rei hated the notion of being called an 'ancient', but for why, he wasn't sure. That was a question Jing Rei only answered indirectly. It tickled Ali's curiosity every passing night, but the younger vampire kept from being overzealous.

        “Hn.” was the only reply from the irritated vampire. He went back to his task of cutting another piece of steak. This time, it was far less hostile than before. “And how did you survive?” Jing Rei asked in return. “I was in the Taiji Caves at the time. It's possible that she…” He gave a wave of his hand. “…couldn't be bothered with seeking me out to destroy me. Or perhaps she wasn't close to my location.”

        Ali's lips twitched slightly, maybe with a smile or a frown. “Perhaps. As for me, I'm not sure. I can't blame my age as I've heard of fledglings from my time who were swiftly taken care of.” He paused, thinking about that time of terror. “I was here in America, but I passed through the mountainsides into the lands with open plains.”

        “So you were out in the open?”

        “I was. I felt a terrible wave pass over me. Tricky and ominous, a dread older than I'm comfortably able to express or understand… But then, it was gone. I don't know if it was her or the shock of her terror passing through to me.”

        “Who knows?” Jing Rei stated with his fork turned down on his plate.

        Ali gave a humble nod. “Who knows…”

Silence fell over them like a palpable force. Jing Rei huffed slightly and shook his head, setting back to his work. Ali watched as the vampire across from him ate. Jing Rei was strange in many, many ways. He was honestly without description. He had hit an age where blood interested him very little, but he claimed that he pangs of humanity. Food, to him, had few discernible tastes, but every now and again, something would catch his attention. His taste buds would flare to life in a way that always entranced him. It was an interesting version of the Hunt, Jing Rei had told Ali at one point. Ali smiled now as he watched. It was truly interesting.

He brought his attention up to Jing Rei's face now, watching the vampire across from him busy his mouth with such an unnecessary task. There was a touch of longing in Ali's gaze. Not because Ali felt any physical desire for the other vampire, but because Jing Rei was captivatingly handsome. His features were quite unlike any Ali had seen in America so far.

Jing Rei's eyes were set far apart and deep into his face. His nose was thick and straight, the tip tilted down just slightly. His lips were moderate in size, but his mouth was wide. His typical expression was hard and distant as if he was deep in disturbing thought. Ali liked to look upon his companion. He was endlessly fascinating.

After a time, the vampires sighed in unison. Jing Rei set his fork and knife down onto the plate before shoving them away. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wad of money. He counted out a fair amount before tucking the bills under his plate. He nodded his head to his companion.

        “Let's go.”

        “After you, my friend.” Ali motioned his hand for Jing Rei to stand and soon followed suit after the other vampire.

A waiter looked to them with interest and then mild alarm, watching as the two men strode away from their table without so much as a word. Ali turned his head just so to the right, watching reflections in the window as the waiter hurriedly moved towards their table.

        “Humans are so jumpy, aren't they?” Jing Rei asked once they had exited into the night.

        “Indeed they are.” Ali looked to the world and asked after a soft breath, “Home?”

        “Home.”

The two vampires had taken up residence in Waterbury. It was a quaint looking city; its brick structures were appealing to Ali. Jing Rei had a human servant and associate who lived in a three bedroom home and oh so kindly opened their doors to the vampires. Unlike the many completely brick faced buildings, the servant's home was Colonial in style and had a black chain link fence barring off its backyard. Its top half had cream coloured siding while its lower half sported the brick that Ali was growing fond of. The entrance had two doors; one was glass paned with the proper front door being made of oak.

The interior of the house was comforting. It wasn't ridiculously modern nor was it woefully out of date. Soft carpeting decorated the entrance and open living room. Tile separated the living room and trailed from the kitchen to the white and light brown winder stairs. Ali took the lead, heading up the stairs to the bedrooms. Further they went on the upper level until they took a left past a closed door into a darkened room.

 _11:32_ flashed on the digital clock. Jing Rei made a soft noise when he noticed it, and that drew Ali's attention.

        “Something wrong?”

Jing Rei was staring past the younger vampire towards the window. He frowned just slightly but refocused when he felt a hand on his chest.

        “How many have died this time?”

        “It's hard to tell...” Jing Rei's voice trailed off slightly. “I feel their lives slipping away, but there's a fair number. Some distance away.” When Jing Rei collected himself, he took in a long breath as if drawing his mind and soul back towards himself and away from the humans who died this night. “Ali. Have you hunted tonight?”

        “Ah.” Ali turned his head for a moment before making a noise in the negative. “I completely forgotten. The cold has made everything so unappealing.”

In truth, Ali hated the way his body felt after feeding. The hot of the human blood would rush through him and conflict against the natural cold of his body. Even the thought of it made him wince slightly. Jing Rei placed a hand on his companion's neck and sighed softly in disappointment.

        “That's a bad habit to develop for someone so young.”

        Ali smiled. “Perhaps so.”

Jing Rei was incredibly warm. Ali could only wonder how many humans it took to feed him. Though he typically didn't drink blood very often on his own, Jing Rei indulged himself whenever he and Ali were in transit together. The Chinese vampire typically rose earlier than Ali did, and so he was usually done feeding by the time Ali awoke. It wasn't uncommon for Jing Rei to drink a bit when he rose and then wait for Ali before he did any serious hunting.

Jing Rei quirked his fingers and coaxed Ali closer. Their eyes met for a moment, and after the pause, Ali moved his hands to Jing Rei's hips. His mouth opened, and he sank his fangs into the warmth of the elder vampire's neck. Warm blood rushed into his mouth, and Ali's limbs tingled from top to bottom. He clenched tighter, pushing himself closer and forcing Jing Rei against the door. Hunger stirred in Ali's stomach but was quickly sated with every draught of blood that flowed into his mouth.

Jing Rei leaned his head back against the door and groaned as blood drained out of him. He squeezed Ali's neck gently, but the younger vampire was already pulling away. Jing Rei let out a shaky sigh and stared down at his companion with hooded eyes. He moved his hand from Ali's neck to his lips, swiping a thumb over the soft lips.

        “Blood compliments you beautifully,” Jing Rei stated, smearing the blood over Ali's lips.

The dark red of blood emphasized the rich brown tone of his skin. Even when smeared against Ali's lips, it was, as Jing Rei had said, a beautiful compliment. The younger vampire smiled and licked his lips slowly, knowing that Jing Rei followed the movement of his tongue. He turned his head to press a kiss to the bloodied thumb but allowed Jing Rei to lick it off of his own finger.

Ali thanked his companion in Teke-Tyee. His tone fell heavy with lust brought on from his blood drinking. He brought a hand to his mouth and laughed gently, hearing how he sounded. To be honest, Jing Rei didn't look any better. He looked around ready to pounce the young vampire, and Ali debated on whether or not to encourage him.

He turned instead, toed off his shoes, and reached for the bedsheets; behind him, Jing Rei shoved himself away from the door, heading towards the curtains and securing them closed. The thick curtains were common all over the house, and Ali was unsure as to whether or not they were there before Jing Rei's preternatural influence. Regardless, he didn't think too hard about it. He was merely glad that the blackout curtains had been installed generously. He sunk himself deep under the covers, taking the pillow with him though he knew that he wouldn't feel it under his head when he slept.

        “So tired already?”

        “Perhaps I am,” Ali called from the covers. The lump of covers shifted slightly, and he peeked his head out towards Jing Rei. “But it would be a shame to sleep alone, now wouldn't it?”

        Jing Rei smirked and glanced over towards the door before moving closer to the bed. “If I join you, do not expect much sleeping.”

        Ali gave a playful sigh and closed his eyes. “I suppose I can live with that.”

He opened his eyes as the covers lifted and welcomed his companion with a smile. Jing Rei's nails gently scratched against his skin, and Ali thanked the Heavens for the cold Connecticut weather.


End file.
